Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, was in Lithuania this week to reaffirm Europe's solidarity with Baltic countries in the face of the continuous Russian aggression and destabilisation attempts. She described: "People in the Baltic countries have been experiencing what many believed belonged to another era – air raid alerts, families sheltering, schools closing, transport interrupted. This is the reality on Europe's eastern border in 2026." The President praised the resilience of Baltic people in the light of those Russian attempts to destabilise "our democratic societies". She declared: "You have responded with calm and responsibility. And with a clear message to Russia: we will prevail. Europe stands in full solidarity and unity with Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Because when Baltic states are being tested, Europe as a whole is being tested."
Following that assessment, the President made a point on readiness. She highlighted that Lithuania's SAFE plan has already been signed, and Estonia and Latvia are ready to sign as well. Overall, the Baltics will receive €12 billion through SAFE. The money will be invested in anti-drone capabilities, advanced air defence and the protection of critical infrastructure. The President also commended the contributions of Baltic companies, which bring cutting-edge expertise in cyber defence and counter-drone systems to the table. In addition to funding from SAFE, the President shared that €1.5 billion was redirected from cohesion funds to defence preparedness projects across the Baltic states.
President von der Leyen also addressed the need to bridge the preparedness gap. She assessed: "Preparedness must be the organising principle for the resilience of our societies, our economic policies and of course for our security architecture. And the Eastern Member States will set the standards. Because what you are experiencing today, the rest of Europe could face tomorrow." She stressed the need for a more unified alert system and improved cross-border coordination. The President also emphasised that the Eastern Flank Watch flagship must become a central pillar of Europe's security architecture.
Furthermore, President von der Leyen insisted on integrating Ukraine into Europe's defence-industrial strategy to complement European flagship air defence projects, stressing how Ukraine's battlefield experience is helping European defence adaptation. Deepening cooperation with Ukraine on next-generation defence technology is in both Ukraine's and Europe's strategic interest. She declared: "Our objective is clear: together, Europe and Ukraine must build the industrial capacity to out-innovate our adversaries."
Lastly, the President of the Commission called for Member States to reflect together on a broader strategic lesson. Member States are facing multiple threats all at once - hybrid and cyberattacks, foreign interference, and disinformation are regular occurrences - they should be able to count on European solidarity. Hence, President von der Leyen called for a protocol for a hybrid situation to be developed to allow for the rapid mobilisation of all available EU instruments. The President concluded her intervention calling for unity, she said: "After all, deterrence is the best strategy to preserve peace. So let us stay vigilant. And let us stay united."
